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Is anyone else surprised by how often kids need to eat? I sure have been and I know that my fellow parents can understand the feeling of “you need to eat again”? A regular snack schedule with balanced and nutritious options have been a game-changer for us. And a key piece of this strategy working is having easy, healthy snacks for kids on hand.
In today’s post and accompanying episodes, I’ll be talking all about these easy, healthy snacks for kids including:
- What’s the best snack schedule?
- Should I buy snacks or make them?
- How can I pick out snacks that I feel confident are healthy?
- How to build the perfect, balanced snack
Easy, Healthy Snacks for Kids
If you’ve had a kid for a while now, you know that the struggle of feeding snacks to your kids is very real.
Like any good parenting conundrum, there are multiple layers of this whole snack question and I want to make sure that I hit on all the important pieces, including the specific shopping list of easy, healthy snacks that you can use.
However, first and foremost, I think it’s important to talk about the timing of snacks and how that can make snack-time both easier and healthier.
What’s the best snack schedule?
After too many days of kids snacking right before dinner and then skipping the meal, I realized that I needed to come up with a better plan for when and how snacks were served.
Luckily, around that time, I was introduced to Ellyn Satter and the Division of Responsibility in Feeding. In a nutshell, Ellyn says that when it comes to feeding:
- Parents decide:
- What
- When
- Where
- Kids decide:
- How much
- Whether
Ultimately, it’s up to you what works for you and your family when it comes to snacks. But I’ve found for us that it’s best if we have a “rough” snack schedule to set clear expectations for both the parents and the kids.
Here’s what our schedule generally looks like:
- Breakfast: 7-8 AM
- Morning Snack: 10-11 AM
- Lunch: 12:30-1:30 PM
- Afternoon snack: 3-4 PM
- Dinner: 5:30-6:30 PM
- Bedtime snack: 7-7:30 PM
Your snack distribution may look different based on your schedule, preferences, kids’ hunger. That said, this distribution of who is in charge in the when and what of snacks is key to making sure that we aren’t eating snacks instead of meals because the kids know when food will be available.
I talk a lot more about this in the video version of this post, which you can check out here:
I especially love that having a schedule helps me know what I need to be ready to serve and helps my kids know when they will have the opportunity to eat.
Now that we’ve got that sorted, I bet you’re asking yourself “but what should I serve?”. Good question.
Should I buy snacks or make them myself?
Of course, the answer to this question highly depends. But because you’re here reading a post about easy, healthy snacks for kids I’m guessing that you want some store-bought options.
And good news! I believe that there are plenty of ready-to-eat healthy snacks available now at the store, it’s just a matter of finding them.
Obviously, making your own snacks can be a great option too, but it will take some more pre-planning and effort. Although, you can save money by making snacks yourself so that and the ability to control what’s in the food are clear benefits.
The main thing I’d ask myself when deciding whether to make or buy snacks is:
- Do I actually have time and space and energy to make snacks?
- Can I do it in a timely matter so that the snacks are available when I need them?
- Do I have special dietary needs that might be easier to cook for myself than buy?
Once you’ve answered these questions, you can determine whether you’re looking for great ready-to-eat snacks or recipes for ones you can make. And, of course, a mix of the two is always a great option as well.
Whether you’re making or buying snacks, it’s important to understand what a healthy snack actually looks like and how to determine if the one you’re making or buying fits the bill.
What are healthy snacks for kids?
There are many ways that you can determine the healthfulness of a food. In fact, I have a whole post on label reading.
But, a simple way to determine whether you feel like a packaged product is “healthy” is to ask yourself:”If I were going to make this myself, would I use these ingredients?”
Some examples of products that meet these standards for me are:
- Chomps Beef and Turkey Sticks
- Mary’s Gone Crackers
Little guy eating Chomps on an airplane:
How does this apply to things that youre making? One of the tricky things is that a lot of homemade snacks like granola bars are still loaded with tons of sugar (that’s what keeps them together!).
When you look at an ingredient list consider:
- How much sugar am I putting in here?
- How many servings does it make?
- Would I give my kids that much sugar if I were just serving it to them?
For example: 1/2 cup of sugar goes into a recipe that makes 4 servings. That means there’s 1/8 cup of sugar or 2 Tbsp of sugar in each serving.
This will help you consider whether the things you’re making or buying are actually nutritious and balanced.
There are obviously other considerations like additives and gums and such, but honestly, most of us are trying to do better but aren’t at the point that we need to worry about all of the minutiae. So the considerations above are a great starting point.
What are some healthy store-bought snacks for kids?
Good news! I’ve put together a downloadable shopping list for you of all of our favorite easy, healthy snacks for kids that you can buy at the store.
Grab it for all the details!
But just in case you want some ideas, here are some that we like (Note: this list is focused on store-bought packaged options):
- Bars
- Fruits and vegetables
- Squeeze packs (look for no added sugar and don’t overuse them)
- Freeze dried fruit
- Dried fruit with no added sugar
- Freeze dried vegetables
- Creative things like cauliflower pretzels (my kids love these!)
- Crunchy things: Look for whole grains or alternatives. Look for healthy fats and low amounts of additives.
- Farm to Fork Pretzels
- Avocado oil chips
- Mary’s Gone Crackers
- Simple Mills Almond Flour Crackers
- Naturally sweet
- Fruit leathers
- Pure bars (we buy these at Costco)
- Larabar bites
- Figgy Pops (we buy these at Costco too)
- Meat products
Obviously, there are amazing fresh options as well like: fresh fruits and vegetables, hummus, yogurt ranch, and cheese squares.
When it comes down to it, a mix of fresh and packaged items is a great way to build a healthy balanced snacks.
How to build the perfect, balanced snack
I’m always looking for a balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fat. This is why things like a snack platter (see below) or a meat stick with fruit is a great way to easily create a balanced snack for kids.
Here are some examples of combos that work well for us (even if we’re on the go):
- Apples and peanut butter
- Cheese, bell pepper, and crackers
- Crackers, cheese, and berries
- Smoothie made with nut butter or coconut milk
- Chomps or other meat stick with fruit
- Plantain chips with guacamole and beans
Remember, it doesn’t have to be complicated or gourmet. But, if you’re putting all this effort into buying the right snacks, you might as well serve them in a balanced way so that they’re getting maximum nutrition.
I think of this as “laying a healthy baseline of nutrition”.
This can also ease stress around eating at meal times because you know there are multiple opportunities for healthy, balanced eating all throughout the day.
Want to hear about how we handle bedtime snacks? I talk about this in the podcast episode (or video) above right around the 23 minute mark.
How do I talk to my kids about healthy snacks?
Honestly? I don’t talk to my kids about this at all. The division of responsibility makes it stress-free to offer a snack, usually with at least one item I know they’ll like, and let them decide whether to eat it or not.
This obviously works best with little kids and there may be more conversation necessary with teenagers. But maybe not as much as you think?
Conclusion: Easy, Healthy Snacks for Kids
Today’s challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to download the Easy, Healthy Snacks Shopping List.
Then head on over to Instagram and let me know what one new healthy snack you’re going to try in your house. Bonus points if you share a picture with me by tagging me (@cookingwithafullplate) in your stories.
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